What rides are traditionally less crowded?

[Tasscrapper]

I am wondering what rides or areas are traditionally less crowded or have shorter or faster lines particularly for later in the afternoon and evening. There is always tons of info on strategies for Fastpass and things like Nemo but what about stuff that is better to do say in the afternoon when other things are getting the longer lines? We'll be there the first week of December with 4 kids and I need to put together some kind of plan. I do know that I don't want to spend a lot of time in Adventureland or that area later in the day just because the walkways get so congested. Is Critter Country usually ok later in the day? Kind of ashamed to admit it but when hubby and I went the end of August we never made it to Critter Country or Toon Town. I want to do Roger Rabbit this time as well as the Pooh ride and SM. It seems to me that people recommend doing FL first but if you've already done it one day what would you recommend for another morning? WE will not have any MM at all as we will all have AP's. Thanks.

 

[skoocher]

Seems like I have never really waited too long for either Pirates or Haunted Mansion. Rides like that, where they can move a lot of people at once, go pretty fast even when the lines seem long.

 

[cheshiregirl]

HM has been super busy this year with the NBC layover. However, Pirates line is usually relatively short. Also I think Honey I Shrunk the Audience, Star Tours, the Tiki Room, Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer Island and the Winnie the Pooh ride are all great ways to escape the crowds while staying in DL.

If you are willing to cross the esplanade, most of DCA rides will have pretty short waits--Monsters Inc., Muppets, Turtle Talk with Crush, the Redwood Adventure Trail, and King Triton's Carousel are almost always walk on/in.

 

[Tasscrapper]

Ok I know this is going to be a shocker for a lot people but I didn't like POTC. I thought it was boring and took way to long because it went so slow. I'm sure we'll go on it again and maybe it will grow on me but . . . I just don't get what people think is so great about it.

 

[MunkyMe13]

I've never waited more than 2-3 minutes for Pooh

 

[JaneJetson]

Critter Country really doesn't have much going on. Just Splash, Winnie the Pooh, and a couple shops. But Winnie the Pooh always seems to have a tiny line or no line at all.

Toon town isn't usually too crowded, especially later in the day. But I do know that they close it early for fireworks.

 

[Jennifer03]

I've never waited long at all for Winnie the Pooh.

 

[bronko78]

Pirates, Haunted Mansion (without the Jack Skellington overlay), Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Pinocchio, Tea cups, the Carousel.

 

[darph nader]

The parking lot tram ride is really short also. (except at the end of the day)

 

[HydroGuy]

Here are things we try to fit in during afternoons and early evenings:

Tiki Room
HISTA (Honey I Shrunk the Audience)
Pooh
Mark Twain
Columbia Sailing Ship
Pirate's Lair on TSI
Roger Rabbit
IASW
Main Street Theater - 50th Anniversary Film or Abe (when he returns)

At DCA

Its Tough to be a Bug
Animation Studios (including Turtle Talk)
Aladdin Show

 

[BrerFox]

Ok I know this is going to be a shocker for a lot people but I didn't like POTC. I thought it was boring and took way to long because it went so slow. I'm sure we'll go on it again and maybe it will grow on me but . . . I just don't get what people think is so great about it.

Hmmm.interesting. POTC is my second favourite ride at DL. Short lines too.

Here's how I see it. The best ride for just pure fun and thrills is Space Mountain. If you love special effects without thrills, then POTC is your best bet. For a mix, Splash Mountain(my favourite ride in the world) is the best, followed by Indiana Jones.

When you get into POTC, you have to get into the mood. You cannot go on expecting big drops and thrills becuase it won't happen. But the mood on the ride is hard to top.

Yous tart in the quiet swamp, hearing nothing but crickets, alligators, and the mysterious old man plucking his banjo.

Then you descend past the talking skull(so cool...pitch black, and hearing nothing but the skull and people screaming ahead of you as you head towards the hill, which is anticlimactic if you are expecting a Splash Mountain type drop) and down a small hill into the cave. I love the ominous moaning of 'Dead Men Tell No Tales' in the background. You feel like you are on a different planet, and that cave really is an awesome atmosphere with the skeletons and such. Then you get the ship battle, the town area, etc etc...I must stop ranting. My point is, go on POTC and just get into it, absorb it, sing along to the song, and get away. It's really cool how they make it seem like the dead of night on that ride. And the smell of that ride is of DL fame. Really gets you into the mood in the way that it smells like you are in quiet lagoon.

I love it because it is just 10 minutes of pure disney magic, which is boosted further by the exquisite audio and visual effects. It's not really 'fun' in the same sense as Space or Splash, but the mood and magic in there is hard to beat. That ride really helps me get away...When you are on the ride it is hard to imagine you are in a busy park.

 

[PHXscuba]

Do what you can (and want) in the morning, and save those Fastpasses you collect as you go for afternoons. (Remember, you can use them after the "hour window" is up, just not before it opens!)

Also good: Anything where the majority of the line is inside or shaded.

I give Disney credit for keeping you interested in line, especially on the newer rides. At WDW last month, crowds were so low that we hurried through many lines without getting to see some of the things around us. A trade-off I will definitely make, but several times when we went back to ride something, I lingered and let others go in front of us.

Also at WDW (but would apply at DLR), we ate cold breafast in our room, got a big snack about 10:30, ate lunch late around 2-2:30, and had dinner at 8 or later most evenings. Hardly waited in line for food at all. So plan some of your afternoon for a leisurely lunch, perhaps.

PHXscuba
"You can't have everything -- besides, where would you put it all?"

 

[Christina-B-Na]

Well put Brerfox!!
I am a huge fan of POTC. It's the music, the smells, the effects, the history of it........ I could go on and on.

 

[PigletGurl]

Snow white is one ive NEVER found crowded. and i always go in the summertime..

 

[DahliaRW]

Going to see things like Billy Hill and such are great when it's peak crowds. Go early, get some food and a good seat, eat while you wait, then enjoy the show.

The DL railroad is also great when the park is crowded. Or going to see something like innovations.

 

[avalon451]

collect your FPs in the morning, then ride those big rides all in a row in the afternoon or evening. Nothing like waltzing right onto Space with a FP at 7 p.m. when the standby is 65 minutes!

When it's MM and you don't have access, do the "left side" which isn't open for MM anyway, so you're on an even footing with everybody else. Get there for rope drop into Adventureland and start collecting those FPs, and ride everything that doesn't have a FP, saving the FPs for later!

I like Disneyland: The First 50 Years, watching the parade, riding the railroad, and getting a good spot for the fireworks while sipping a cup of hot chocolate.

Also, lately Buzz Lightyear has had really reasonable lines regardless of the time of day.

 

[Tasscrapper]

All right I will definately go with an open mind on Pirates this time. I think that perhaps I didn't really know what to expect and the whole beginning threw me off. My hubby really liked it though and I am sure the kids probably will with the exception of oen dd but she will be trying it at least once.

Thanks for all the suggestions, peeps. I've started an excell sheet since I liked the look of Jennifer03's so much but it has a long way to go.